I looked at Katherine, her eyes fixed intently on the orc as she drew her bowstring back, the arrow quivering with anticipation.
Her face was a mask of determination, her jaw clenched in a fierce resolve. I sighed, the sound escaping my lips with a soft Haaa.
I then drew my own sword, it's slightly cracked blade flashing in the moonlight as it slid out of its scabbard: Shink!
As I looked around, I saw that everyone else had drawn their swords and staffs as well, the sound of steel ringing out in the air.
Clang!
Grant, Viona, and Jessica all stood ready, their faces set in determined expressions.
"Grant, can you cast tier 6 magic?" I asked, my voice low and urgent. Grant looked at me, his eyes locking onto mine, and nodded weakly, his face still slightly pale.
I thought to myself, if Grant could cast tier 6 magic, we might actually have a chance. Tier 6 magic was powerful enough to kill or heavily damage even a high orc.
And since this orc didn't seem to be anything higher than a high orc, we might be able to take it down.
I let out a deep sigh, the sound escaping my lips with a soft Haaa.
Then, I thought as I raised my hands over a few corpses, a mix of goblin and human bodies lying scattered on the ground.
Ideally, I would've liked to absorb the shaman as well, before being even slightly confident about this fight.
But it was too late for that now. I muttered in a quiet tone, "[Devour]," and immediately, a black mist came out of my hand, swirling around the corpses like a living thing.
Psssssss.
The mist swallowed the bodies whole, and I felt a surge of energy flow through me as I absorbed their life force.
Slowly but surely, I felt my stats increase, my body growing stronger and more powerful.
I grinned, a fierce determination burning within me. "Ok, let's do this," I said, my sword at the ready.
I decided to check my status, muttering "Status" inwardly. My mental screen flickered to life, displaying my current stats in a neat, organized format.
____________________________________________________
Name: Lucas Morningstar (Alex Friedman)
Age: 13
Rank: E+/D-
STR(ATT): 120/255 (240/510) [E+]/[C+]
AGI(SPD): 132/275 (264/550) [D-]/[B-]
DEF: 114/235 [E+]/[C+]
Mana: 390/1000 [B]
Magic: 139/270 [D-]/[B-]
Affinities: Fire [B]
Ice [A]
Lightning [B]
??????$#&@ [???][locked]
Skills: Devour (Unique)- This ability allows the user to devour his opponents and add a portion of their power to his. Subskill of gluttony.
Appraisal(B)- This ability allows the user to scan and see the information (Stats) of anything (people and artifacts)
____________________________________________________
I nodded to myself, my eyes scanning the numbers and ratings. Yup, we're doomed, I thought, a wry smile twisting my lips.
Shaking such thoughts out of my head, I began channeling mana through my body, feeling the familiar surge of energy coursing through my veins.
Joseph, Viona, and Jessica did the same, their eyes closed in concentration as they focused on their own mana flows.
Grant, meanwhile, began casting his spell, his hands weaving intricate patterns in the air as he began casting his magic.
Katherine stayed near Grant, her bow at the ready, arrows nocked and waiting to be launched: Click-click.
Our plan was simple: the rest of us would keep the high orc occupied while Grant cast his spell.
I glanced at my mana reserves, feeling a pang of concern. I still had a bit of mana left, but not enough to be firing off plasma attacks willy-nilly.
Snapping myself out of my thoughts, I readied myself, my sword at the ready.
The orc, seemingly tired of waiting for us to come to it, let out a mighty roar and began to charge towards us.
RRRRAAAAGH!
The ground shook beneath its feet as it thundered towards us, its axe at the ready: Boom-boom-boom.